Cyclists Have Say on Bike Plan

Poring over maps of Los Angeles County, local resident Michael Adler examined  bike lanes around Calabasas and talked about where new ones could go.

"There's no safe way for kids to get to the middle schools and high schools," said Adler, who bikes for recreation.

Adler and other community members gave their input on the County of Los Angeles Master Bike Plan on Wednesday at the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District as part of the second round of workshops in the area.

The master plan is attempting to expand the county's bicycle infrastructure, and also connect and improve existing bikes lanes and routes to make riding safer for cyclists and drivers.

More than 400 potential routes or study corridors were identified in the first master plan workshops held in February and March.

Of particular interest to local resident Thomas Foote were proposed bike lanes along Mureau Road because they would fill in gaps in access between Calabasas and Agoura Hills.

There are similar gaps on the intersections of Mullholland and Old Topanga highways, Adler said, adding that it's typical for bike lanes to suddenly stop and start up down the road.

David Chambers, a resident of Thousand Oaks, had a different take on improving bike infrastructure.

Instead of adding bike lanes, cyclists should be integrated onto the road with cars as it's difficult for bicyclists to make a left turn at an intersection because they are on the far right of the road.

"I go out in the middle of traffic as much as possible and I don't have any close calls, not even close," Chambers said. "I don't think bike lanes make it safer, they just create the illusion of safety."

After the community workshops, engineers assess the feasibility of such suggested improvements.

"We are usually constrained by road width," said David Pulsipher of Alta Planning and Design, which will oversee the construction of the master plan. "It's more of the exception not the rule that there's room enough for bike lanes."

If a street were not wide enough for a bike lane, another possible option would be to create bike routes. These are sections of roads that cyclists share with motorists as opposed to bike lanes, which are extra sections of roads built specifically for riding.

Bike routes are cheaper than widening a road for a bike lane, said Abu Yusuf, Los Angeles County bikeway coordinator.

Once all the recommendations are gathered and studied, a Master Bike Plan will be drafted in 2011 and it will then take another year before any physical changes are made, Pulsipher said.

The county previously took up the issue of bicycle infrastructure in 1975.

"The last time we did the planning, the focus was on recreational cycling and now gas is up, people are more educated about environmental emissions and our carbon footprint so the focus is on using bikes for commuting," Yusuf said. "These workshops help us respond to the needs of the community."

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